On Tuesday the Pilgrims of Ibillin group experienced some of the most holy sites in the three Abrahamic religions.

First we had a rare inside visit to Al Aqsa Mosque, considered Islam’s second holiest site. The green and gold mosaics are wonderful to behold.

Then we visited Judaism’s holy site, the Western or Wailing Wall, at the ruins of the Second Temple. There people pray and place notes and prayers in the wall crevices.

Finally we visited some of Christianity’s holiest sites: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jesus’ tomb), Mt of Olives (where Jesus spent the last days of his life), and the Garden of Gethsemene, where he was arrested by Roman guards. This full day was narrated by our Jerusalem guide, Mike.

From 1948, Jerusalem was intended to be an International City, a status embodied in General Assembly resolution 181. This was to “protect and preserve the unique spiritual and religious interests” located in this center of 3 great monotheistic faiths. This intent has never been fully realized, however, and was dealt an additional blow in Dec 2017 when US Pres Donald Trump ordered the US Embassy to relocate from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – thus encouraging Israel’s domination of the city.

Palestinian dreams of a state with its capital in East Jerusalem seem further away than ever.

We ended the day hearing from Jeff Halper, longtime activist with the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions. He painted a pessimistic picture of the current situation for Palestinians, but expressed hope that they will build an effective movement.